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In the jungle of Papua New Guinea, the pope “from the end of the world”
A visit to the “peripheries” of the world: Pope Francis made a historic trip to the jungle of Papua New Guinea on Sunday. Lush vegetation with mangroves as far as the eye can see, framed by the turquoise water of the Pacific Ocean and clear sand beaches: welcome to Vanimo, in the far northwest of Papua New Guinea. It is in this rural and remote community that Pope Francis chose to meet, on Sunday, some 20,000 people from different provinces, as part of a historic visit to the country. Among them, hundreds have walked, sometimes for several days from the other end of the island to meet the Argentinian Jesuit. Like Joachim Mombigo, wearing a red T-shirt and cap, who traveled three days. “I am Catholic, and I wanted to see the head of the Church,” he told AFP as a warm, humid breeze blew from the surrounding hills topped with palm trees and signs welcoming the pope. In the crowd, families, often poor, hundreds of barefoot children. Groups of young people, sitting on the ground for long hours, display the red and black flag of their country or a photo of the Bishop of Rome. Steven Nati, 53, hopes for a cure. “I have many problems. I came so that the pope blesses me, so that I can be cured,” explains this resident of Vanimo, leaning on a cane. – “A grandiose spectacle” – On stage, the head of the Catholic Church is offered an impressive headdress topped with yellow and black feathers of birds of paradise, the country’s national emblem. A round of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd as he placed it on his head. Guest of honor, Francis, 87, watched a traditional dance performed by members of a tribe from the local province of Sandaun, their arms wrapped in bracelets of feathers, shells and leaves, and their bodies covered in tribal paintings. A port city of 10,000 souls on the border with Indonesia, Vanimo symbolizes in itself the “peripheries” dear to the first South American pope in history, who had defined himself as coming “from the ends of the earth” when he was elected in 2013. With this trip, the announcement of which surprised even Rome, the pope reiterated the importance he gives to territories and populations feeling marginalized or sidelined in a Church that he would like to see less closed in on itself. More than 80% of The country’s population lives in villages, following ancestral rites, some of which have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. In his speech, the Pope paid tribute to “a magnificent land, rich in a great variety of plants and birds, before which one is left speechless by the colors, the sounds, the scents, the grandiose spectacle of a nature overflowing with life.” Francis also urged to “chasing fear, superstition and magic from the hearts of the people,” while some regions of the Highlands remain the scene of cruel witch hunts accused by frightened tribes of embodying the forces of evil. – Games and medical equipment – In the Australian army plane that took him there, Francis brought several tons of medical equipment, clothing and games for children. Jorge Bergoglio also paid tribute to the missionaries who have succeeded one another in the territory since the beginning of the 19th century. Among these religious and lay people involved in the development of education and health services, his native Argentina plays a central role. Among them, the priest Martin Prado, on site for 10 years, one of the main architects of this visit. The inhabitants “depend on everything: the soil, the rain, the sea, the house” but have a thirst for spirituality, confides this 36-year-old priest. After a return planned for the evening in the capital Port Moresby, Francis will leave Papua New Guinea on Monday for East Timor, the third stop on his marathon tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania.cmk/sba
